India culling 200,000 more birds

Indian authorities aim to kill 200,000 birds over the next two days to stamp out an outbreak of bird flu in the state of Assam.

Officials have reported more than 100 people suffering from flu-like symptoms, which characterise the avian influenza virus, but no cases have been confirmed, according to Reuters.

People in six districts of the Guwahati, the state's main city, reported breathing difficulties and fever and health officials are currently conducting door-to-door enquiries to assess whether there were any more people with flu symptoms.

The World Health Organization has classified the threat of avian influenza spreading to humans as "serious", recording almost 400 cases so far this year and nearly 250 deaths.

Indian authorities have already killed 350,000 chickens and ducks in Assam as well as destroying eggs and bird feed.

Some people have been making the sanitisation process difficult, with one man found hiding 2,500 birds.

Doses of bird flu vaccine Tamiflu have been rushed to the area as well as surgical masks.

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